Final Fantasy Tactics
NB': This page uses the PlayStation localization. A warrior takes sword in hand, clasping a gem to his heart. Engraving vanishing memories into the sword, He places finely honed skills into the stone. Spoken from the sword, handed down from the stone... Now the story can be told... SQUARE PRESENTS The "Zodiac Brave Story" - Final Fantasy Tactics '''''Final Fantasy Tactics is a strategy role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation. It was released for the PlayStation console, and combined elements of the Final Fantasy series within the tactical gameplay, the first of its kind in the series. Ten years after it was released, an updated version of this game was made for the PlayStation Portable, called Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Gameplay Unlike traditional Final Fantasy games, battles in Tactics are fought on a map divided into a grid where characters can move about, and actions can only be executed within a certain range. Obstacles, terrain types, and elevation create further strategic elements. Each character is allotted one move and one action per turn. Order of turns is determined by an "Active-Time" like system, a character's 'Charge Time' filling a bar and deciding when that character gets to act. Spells also have charge times and once cast, will go off when the spell's charge time hits 100. An action's chance of success is best when attacking an opponent from the rear and is least likely to succeed in frontal assaults. In addition there is Zodiac Compatibility - characters in the game, including your own, are assigned certain Zodiac signs and opposing pairs are especially effective against each other. For instance a male Pisces and a female Virgo (such as Miluda) can inflict massive amounts of damage on each other, where as a male Pisces and a male Virgo (such as Wiegraf) will not be able to hurt each other very well. The Job System While job systems were familiar to the TRPG community, Final Fantasy Tactics''used many classes seen in previous ''Final Fantasy versions. The localization of the game might have caused some of this to be lost in the translation. The White Mage job was translated as Priest, and the Black Mage job as Wizard, for instance, but this was changed for the PSP version. As each human character develops, they gain experience, which will increase their overall level. Characters also gain Job Points (JP), which allow them to level up within a job until they have mastered it. As a character gains more experience in various jobs, they gain access to other, more advanced or specialized jobs. Some jobs, like Calculator and Mime, require invested time and experience in several jobs, and require mastery of others to be truly effective. Once learned, skills and job-specific commands can be used even after a character switches jobs, though a penalty may be applied. The game also allows you to collect creatures like chocobos, and although these creatures also level up, they do not gain jobs or skills. Characters : Main article: List of Final Fantasy Tactics Characters Below is a list of characters who become permanent party members based on the chronology of the plot, unless dismissed by the player (except Ramza Beoulve). A complete list is found in the link above: * Ramza Beoulve: The character central to the entire plot. Ramza is part of the Beoulve noble family. * Mustadio Bunanza: A young Engineer from Goug Machine City who joins the party after Ramza helps him and his father. * Agrias Oaks: A Holy Knight and bodyguard to Princess Ovelia. * Rafa Galthana: A Heaven Knight and part of the Kamyuja assassination squad. She is Malak's sister. * Malak Galthana: Hell Knight and part of the Kamyuja assassination squad. He is Rafa's brother. * Cidolfas Orlandu: A powerful and well-known swordsman. He is a friend of Ramza's father and adoptive father to Orran. * Meliadoul Tingel: Temple Knight who saw the truth about the Zodiac Stones.